The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has come into effect after the Israeli government announced its approval of the agreement to end the war in the enclave.

According to CNN, citing Israeli officials, the ceasefire takes immediate effect following the government’s approval of the deal. Meanwhile, Israel’s Public Broadcasting Corporation reported that ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich voted against the proposal.

The agreement includes the release of 250 prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 prisoners from Gaza who were detained after October 7, in addition to all children and women detainees.

Following the official announcement by the Israeli government of the ceasefire’s implementation, thousands of displaced Palestinians began returning to northern Gaza.

Backed by the United States, since October 7, 2023, Israel has committed a genocide in Gaza, leaving 67,194 martyrs and 169,890 wounded, most of them children and women, along with a famine that has claimed the lives of 460 Palestinians, including 154 children.